Norwegian archeologists find world’s oldest runestone

Professors at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo said on Tuesday that they had found what they claimed is the world’s “oldest datable runestone,” or the stone with the oldest runic writings on it. They claimed the inscriptions are up to 2,000 years old and date back to the earliest phase of runic writing. The archeologists said the engravings may be one of the first attempts to use runes in Scandinavia. Runes are characters that were used in several Germanic alphabets before the adoption of the Latin alphabet.

Where was this runestone found? It was found west of Oslo in a grave near Tyrifjord. The area is known for several monumental archeological finds. Burnt bones and charcoal in the grave’s cremation pit indicate that the runes were likely engraved onto the stone between A.D. 1 and A.D. 250.

Dig deeper: Read Heather Frank’s report in WORLD Magazine about an ancient stargazing map hidden in Medieval text.